Missions

They will carry out pollen and fire signal analyses on a lake sediment core collected in 2024. Their responsibilities will include data acquisition and laboratory processing (pollen identification and micro-charcoal analysis), through to the regional paleoecological reconstruction. The position is based at the CEPAM laboratory in Nice (France). The researcher will work in close collaboration with the laboratory technician responsible for sample preparation (sub-sampling, pollen slide preparation, micro-charcoal sieving), whose activities they will co-supervise. They will also collaborate with the CEPAM “FORÊTS” team and with partner institutions: the Climate and Environmental Sciences Laboratory (LSCE), Chrono-Environnement, Edytem, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Familiarity with the paleoecological specificities of tropical environments is desirable.

Activités

• Analysis of pollen slides and counting of micro-charcoal particles.
• Modelling of past vegetation and fire history; identification of pollen signatures linked to late Holocene climate changes.
• Collaboration with geochemists and archaeobotanists to validate hypotheses regarding paleoenvironmental dynamics.
• Participation in team meetings and dissemination activities (conference presentations, publications, and organization of scientific events).
• Contribution to the supervision and training of the laboratory technician where applicable.
• Travel related to the project is expected (visits to partner laboratories, annual team meetings, participation in conferences).

Compétences

Knowledge
• Paleoecology, palynology, and/or fire signal analysis in lacustrine environments
• Familiarity with tools for modelling past vegetation and fire history
• General knowledge of paleolimnology
• Knowledge of tropical paleoenvironmental contexts is desirable

Technical Skills
• Protocols for pollen slide preparation and micro-charcoal sieving
• Use of transmitted and reflected light microscopes
• Use of imaging and image processing software for microscopy
• Scientific writing and communication
• Proficiency in English

Interpersonal Skills
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to report on one's work effectively
• Experience in supervision and training is desirable

Contexte de travail

We are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher (M/F) to join the archaeological and paleoecological project PAST-FORCE (ANR-24-CE27-2043 PAST-FORCE), which aims to reconstruct socio-environmental dynamics in the southern Maya lowlands (Guatemala) during the pre-Columbian period (1500 BCE – 1500 CE). The successful candidate must have a PhD in Archaeology, Earth sciences or Life Sciences, with a specialization in paleoecology, palynology, and/or fire signal analysis.

Contact for information:
Lydie Dussol (lydie.dussol@univ-cotedazur.fr)
Antoine Pasqualini (antoine.pasqualini@cnrs.fr)
Laboratory: https://www.cepam.cnrs.fr/
Research project: https://anr-pastforce.cnrs.fr/